Alpha's Mate Read online

  “You’re lying,” she said.

  Her heart was pounding inside her chest. It wasn’t possible for her to be his mate. She’d have known, wouldn’t she?

  You have a keen sense of smell, but some of your wolf senses have always been off.

  Just like she couldn’t always detect creatures in the forest. Her hearing was okay, but not as good as some of the trackers and hunters within the pack.

  She was also a little too trusting of tourists, a trait she hadn’t exactly inherited from her wolf side.

  Being a wolf, she should naturally try to keep the pack safe and rarely talk to outsiders. Their small town always had a few backpackers coming through, and she was the only town person to approach them. To not be afraid of them.

  “Not lying, Suzy.”

  She would have been able to smell the lie.

  It’s what scared her.

  For her lack of wolf traits, she actually possessed one that was rare. Scenting lies, truths, and every other scent, wasn’t common. She’d heard of the stories and someone like her was rare, and she hadn’t told a single soul what she could do.

  Beast wasn’t lying.

  In fact, now that she took a moment, she could smell the mating heat rising within him. It had always been a part of Beast whenever he was with her. She had figured he smelled like that around her because that was his distinctive smell. Each time she’d been near him without him knowing, he didn’t smell like this.

  She liked his scent.

  It was spicy, hot.

  It always had her warm beneath her clothes, making her think of sex and many other things she had only thought of sharing with her mate.

  “You can’t be. If I’m your mate, how come you haven’t initiated our bonding? You would have taken me by now.” She folded her arms across her chest in the hope of protecting herself.

  If she was really Beast’s mate, there were going to be a lot of angry females in the pack.

  Staring at him, she saw the pity in his eyes.

  “You’ve been fighting it, haven’t you?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Look around you at the pack,” he said. “There are a lot of females who would want to take your place. Who would want what you have.”

  “I don’t have anything.”

  “You will. This pack. Being by my side. A lot of women would kill for it.”

  She felt tears spring to her eyes. “You’re ashamed of me.”

  “No!”

  He quickly glanced around, checking to see if anyone heard his loud shout. He was angry.

  When he stepped toward her, she was tempted to step back, but she couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t show weakness, not now, not in front of him. He wouldn’t respect her if she did something like that.

  She couldn’t step away even if she wanted to.

  Even if it was just this once, she wanted to feel Beast’s arms wrapped around her.

  He put his hands on her shoulders, and she closed her eyes, feeling his touch straight to her core.

  She felt alive.

  Even her wolf liked his hands on her.

  They were not doing anything other than touching her. Nothing sexual, but it felt like she was burning alive but in a really good way.

  “I have never, ever been ashamed of you,” he said.

  “Then why?” she asked. “Every other male who has found his mate hasn’t had a single choice in the matter, yet you can come and go as you please. You’re not afraid to be around other women.” She had seen the way some mated men react if other women tried to get close to them. It was a complete repulsion of the opposite sex. She had never seen rejection quite like it.

  “You think it’s easy for me to watch you from afar? To not claim you? To not feel your curvy body wrapped around mine? To not have your pussy on my dick, soaking wet, and begging for me to come? You think that’s easy for me?”

  “I think you’ve got a lot more control than you really should have for a mated man.” She tried to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn’t let her.

  Beast held the power here. Not her.

  “Let me go,” she said.

  “No. We’re not mated yet. I have been paying attention to you, Suzy. In fact, if you think about it, you would have seen in the past year alone, our paths have crossed more times than they ever should have. This isn’t easy for me. You think those men that have touched you have come back bruised just for practice? Just to spar? No. I have made sure that any man who ever thinks they can get near you is punished.”

  She laughed. “Without them even realizing it? You’re crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy. You’re not a strong wolf, Suzy. You are weak, and I will not have anyone hurting my mate.”

  “So what? You’re going to mate with another woman?”

  He growled, and the sound turned her on. She liked that he couldn’t stand another man touching her.

  She had never been around a jealous mate before.

  Wait? How could he be jealous? She had mentioned him being with another woman, not her.

  “No other woman holds any appeal to me. Only you. You’re the only woman I want. The only woman I care about. The only woman I want to see swollen with my kid. You know the truth now, Suzy, and I won’t back down. You will belong to me.”

  With that, he slammed his lips down on hers, and Suzy didn’t have any fight left. Why would she want to fight something that felt so incredible?

  He tasted amazing. The heat coming off him was already an addictive quality.

  She moaned his name, wrapping her arms around his neck, and wanting to hold him close for as long as she could.

  Chapter Three

  Leaving the dance was the only way Beast could control himself. Finally, he was able to kiss Suzy with no one to see, and to hold her, to tell her the truth. The passion he felt for her was no longer going to be locked in a cage. He wanted to break free, to finally claim her, but to do that, he had to make her his, and for the town to know, she wouldn’t be harmed.

  Like most approaching full moons, he often went to his cabin to take time to think and to come up with a plan for the upcoming day.

  Today was no different, but he’d also left Suzy a large bouquet of roses with the message for her to come to him.

  This could go two ways.

  She could fight him, which his wolf would more than love the chase. The mating would be rough, and he’d struggle to be gentle to make her his. Again, he didn’t mind that. Or, she could get her senses together and come to him like a good little wolf.

  He knew what he wanted between them. He only hoped she had more sense than to fight this attraction.

  She didn’t think there was one, but he’d felt it last night. Her body was ready for him. She wanted this claiming even as she tried to fight it.

  Sitting on his porch, he waited. The countdown had already begun in his head. If she didn’t arrive in the next half hour, he was hunting for her. She wouldn’t stand a chance when he was finished.

  Everyone in the town would know whom she belonged to.

  Just as he was about to go and get her, he heard a twig snap.

  “You think you can summon me like some naughty child?” Suzy asked, coming out of the forest. “The alpha you may be, but as we learned last night, I don’t have to follow your orders.”

  “And yet, here you are.”

  “What do you want?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. The shirt she wore was a little tight, and it showed the pressure of her full tits. She looked spectacular.

  Those tits, that ass, her hips, thighs, they all belonged to him.

  A virgin.

  Untouched.

  And he was going to make sure she knew how to get dirty and to fuck. She was going to belong totally to him.

  “You know what I want.” He stepped down off the porch, and he gave her points for not running away. She didn’t even look afraid of him, which he found to be the ultimate turn-on.

  “You don’t think I’m strong enough to be by your side.”

  “Strength is not an issue. I will protect you, Suzy. I just can’t stand the thought of anyone wanting to take you from me.” He stepped right up to her.

  She lowered her arms, and he saw the hard points of her nipples pressing against the fabric. Her chest was flushed, and her lips looked ready to be kissed … or put to better use.

  “We can’t do anything,” she said. “The moment you touch me the town will smell you.”

  She recognized his mating scent. Interesting.

  He filed away for later that piece of information she had just let slip.

  Reaching out, he played with the strap of her shirt. She didn’t move or swat him away. Did she feel it too?

  Her hand went to his side, and he wanted her. The heat. The need. It pulsed between them.

  He had waited far too long to do this.

  Staring into her blue eyes, he just couldn’t control himself anymore. Taking her lips in a searing, mind-consuming kiss, he picked her up without any effort. She let out a gasp, and he swallowed it down as he carried her to his cabin. Slamming the door closed, he pressed her back up against it.

  With her legs wrapped around him, her pussy was right next to his aching cock. They were wearing way too many clothes, and he had to get them off.

  He growled against her throat and wanted nothing more than to fuck her here and now against this door.

  Virgin.

  He had to keep remembering her virgin state.

  She deserved more than a hard fucking without a bed.

  Moving them away from temptation, he took her down to the bedroom, only he lowered her to the floor so she could stand.

  “You can run from me, Suzy. I will keep on catching you, and the entire town will see our fight. Or, you can stay here, and I can claim you. You’ll become mine, and then we’ll face the town together and announce who you belong to.”

  Her heavy breaths were pushing those glorious tits up for him to touch.

  “There are so many other women who would be better suited.”

  He growled. “No one in this pack would be better suited than you. This is not a competition of strength. You are my mate. You will stand by my side. Now take your damn clothes off.” He pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor. He was done arguing. His wolf was angry that she could even think of another woman standing by his side. No one else would ever be good enough. The only woman he wanted was Suzy. She was the only woman he would ever accept in such a position.

  She didn’t remove any clothes, and he knew she was going to try to run.

  He caught her around her waist and pressed his lips against her neck. She wasn’t going anywhere. Suzy had a keen sense of smell, and so did he. She didn’t want to go anywhere. Suzy wanted to run, but she also wanted him to catch her, and he was more than happy to do that. He wanted her scent all over him so no one would ever doubt who he belonged to.

  ****

  Suzy’s wolf loved having Beast’s arms wrapped around her, and so did she. She couldn’t get enough of him. He was everything she ever wanted, and it scared her that in a few short hours he’d done this to her.

  Was it Beast? Or the power of the mating?

  He picked her up with ease and carried her through to his bedroom. She’d never been in his cabin before, so this was all new to her.

  She squealed in excitement as he dropped her to the bed. Even though this was her first time, she wasn’t afraid. In fact, she was more than ready for whatever he wanted to do to her.

  So ready.

  He stared down at her, his heavily inked arms on display. She caught sight of the wolf down each arm, and they were so sexy. He was a strong man, and she licked her suddenly dry lips as he bent down. His arms went on either side of her legs as he stared at her.

  “You have no idea what you’ve been doing to me for months.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t resist looking at his crotch, and sure enough, pressed against the front of his pants, the very evidence of his arousal and need stood out. His cock was huge, and she wasn’t exaggerating.

  Again, something had to be going on with this mating hormone because she wasn’t afraid.

  He teased the edge of her shirt, and before she even realized what was happening, he had it up over her head and thrown aside.

  She wore a bra, and he groaned.

  “These babies should never be confined. When we’re alone, you don’t wear any clothes.” With a flick of his wrist, her tits fell free, and this time, she could only moan as he cupped both in his hands.

  She closed her eyes, tilting her head back to give him access to her body. This wasn’t a mistake. She felt how right it was in her core.

  Her need for him begged for more, needing him more than anything else.

  “Yes!”

  She gasped as his hand went between her thighs, touching her.

  “Do you have any idea how hot you look right now?” he asked. “Your body is begging for my cock, and I’m the only one who can give you what you need.”

  She wasn’t going to argue.

  He removed her shorts, and her panties followed. He was still dressed in a pair of jeans, but she didn’t care.

  Spreading her legs wide, she cried his name as his mouth went straight to her pussy. There was no permission needed, especially as his tongue began to dance across her clit, stroking over her.

  The pleasure was instant, intense, and she couldn’t fight the sudden onslaught of need as he brought her to the edge of release.

  What was the point of fighting? Not when he knew what he was doing, and he did it so well.

  “Do you like that, baby?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I want you to come all over my face, and when you do, I’m going to fuck you nice and hard and make you all mine.”

  She wanted it so badly, and as he continued to flick his tongue over her clit, she felt her arousal start to build.

  He was the master. The one in charge.

  He worked her until she couldn’t think, and as she came, Beast didn’t stop. His tongue drew her into a second orgasm within a matter of seconds.

  She’d spent a lot of time imagining her first time with a man, from her orgasm to sex, and so far, this was by far better than anything she could have ever thought up.

  Opening her eyes, she watched him as he removed his jeans before climbing on the bed. This time, he nudged her up until her head was against the pillows, and he smiled down at her.

  “Hello, pretty mate.”

  She reached out as if to touch him, only to stop. Could she touch him? Was she allowed to?”

  “Touch me, Suzy. I want you. I want every single part of you.”

  Placing her hands on his shoulders, she stroked down his chest, reaching between them to circle his cock.

  He was rock-hard and yet soft. None of the books she’d read could even compare to this moment.

  “This is going to hurt,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” He stroked a stray curl away from her face, and she smiled up at him.

  “You’re not going to hurt me.”

  He looked at her doubtfully, but he didn’t understand what she meant. She knew it was going to be painful, but afterward, he was going to be able to take care of her, to show her what making love was really all about.

  He took hold of her hands and pushed them above her head, keeping both of hers contained within one of his, locking her into place.

  She stared up at him, waiting.

  Beast reached down between them, grasping his cock.

  She bit her lip, the nerves back stronger than ever.

  As he slid his cock across her clit, she gasped, arching up into his touch.

  He bumped her clit a couple of times, creating a heat that had her wanting him even more.

  Slowly, he slid down until he was poised at her entrance.

  She stared into his eyes, and then in a hard thrust, he slammed every single inch of his cock inside her, tearing through the thin wall of her virginity until he was at the hilt within her.

  Screaming his name, she tried to buck him off her, but there was no way she could move him.

  The pain was intense, and it stole her breath from the sheer power of it. She couldn’t believe anything had ever hurt this much. The pressure between her thighs seemed to build as he took her.

  She was no longer a virgin.

  Chapter Four

  After taking Suzy’s virginity, Beast ran a bath. He felt like a fucking monster. A woman’s virginity was supposed to be a gift and men had coveted it for so long, but for him, he would never rid himself of the scream she released when he took her.

  The sound and look in her eye would forever haunt him.

  Returning to the bed, he found her curled up, looking toward him, smiling. There was blood and semen on the bed sheets. He intended to clean them up and burn them. The metallic scent filled the air, and it only served to anger him that he was the cause of her pain.

  “Hey,” she said.

  He sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Weird. I’m … we’re not mated though.”

  “Not yet, but we will be.”

  “Why didn’t you bite me? I know the bite on the neck would claim me as yours.”

  He took her hand, locking their fingers together.

  “The mating bite is painful, Suzy. I’ve already taken so much today.”

  “You didn’t want to hurt me anymore.”

  “I’ve never experienced the bite. I’ve only heard tales of other women who have, and I couldn’t do that to you. Not today at least.”

  “You’re upset,” she said.

  He was going to have to warn her about giving away too many of her secrets all at once. So far, she had told him at least twice she could smell emotions. A rare gift indeed. He was starting to see her wolf had a lot more to offer than he originally thought. She may not have the gift of strength or the ability to turn at the full moon, but what she did possess was rare indeed, and it was a talent he wanted to keep hidden.

  Some wolves were wanted for this very reason as they could be used to detect lies and certain scents, and it meant their power could be abused. His father had once told him many moons ago to always protect the vulnerable and those who appeared weaker.